Electrochemical cell structure

Abstract

An electrochemical cell having two electrodes of opposite polarity cooperating with an electrolyte solution to produce an electrical potential there between during normal operation, configured to minimize explosions upon forced discharge or charging by locating at least a portion of one electrode in close proximity to the other electrode such that a low impedance path is created between the two electrode surfaces whereby the quantity of externally imposed current flowing through the main body of the cell is minimized. In a preferred embodiment, portions of the two electrodes have contiguous surfaces spaced from each other by a porous separator material with the surfaces chosen to allow plating dendritic growth from one electrode to the other at potential differences below that at which electrolysis occurs.

I claim: 
     
       1. A bipolar electrical battery including a plurality of cells providing the primary electrochemical path for current through said battery, each cell having cathode means connected to a second cell terminal,   anode means connected to a first terminal,   separator means located between said anode means and cathode means, and   electrolyte; wherein each cell has at least one cell terminal being common with a cell terminal of an adjacent cell;     said battery further characterized in that in each cell a portion of said anode means is juxtaposed with the said second cell terminal but mechanically spaced therefrom by said separator means thereby forming a low-resistance secondary electrochemical path for current externally imposed upon said battery which is different from said primary path, said second path including in each cell said portion of said anode means, said separator means and said second cell terminal.   
     
     
       2. The battery of claim 1 wherein said anode means are lithium. 
     
     
       3. The battery of claim 2 wherein said separator means is a porous ceramic material. 
     
     
       4. The battery of claim 3 wherein said electrolyte is a solute dissolved in an oxyhalide. 
     
     
       5. The battery of claim 1 further characterized by said second cell terminal having a surface selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, cadmium, tantalum, and stainless steel. 
     
     
       6. The battery of claim 1 wherein in each cell the surface of said cathode means is smaller in area than the surface of said anode means.